Indeed. GPS especially means that people no longer have the faintest idea how to find their way around without a map. You no longer need to learn where anything is relative to anything else, because you just ask the GPS. Unfortunately, if you are in an emergency situation without such a device, you are hosed because not only are you lacking a map, but you don't even have any skills needed to figure out how to get where you are going.
GPS is great for ocean voyages, flight and getting yourself through hard-to-navigate road systems. But I've got friends who use it on a daily basis, and I don't think they are doing themselves any favors in the long run.
Excellent post.
I would only comment that governments have no rights - only powers - and I bring this up only because there is a dangerous trend in the way people speak of government powers to declare them to be rights as if the people should not be questioning them (whereas the government routinely questions the rights of people.) People with a power-seeking agenda know full well how subtle changes in verbage can have a strong impact on how an idea is perceived. I am certain your choice was accidental.
Re:Sacrificing it all for the 2nd.
on
Encrypted Ammunition?
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· Score: 2, Insightful
Those that behave this way are shortsighted in the way most voters are. They have their pet issue, and they think abotu that to the exclusion of all others.
Unfortunately, neither of the major parties will protect all of the amendments, in spite of the fact it is their oath-bound duty to do so once elected. We continue to elect liars and hypocrites, so it is no suprise this is what happens.
Vote for a party of principle, and keep your firearms clean and loaded.
It's funny, I bought an XBox 360 well after they came out and had some decent games. And of all the games I have, the ones I play the most are the relatively simple ones that I get from XBox Live Arcade, such as Geometry Wars, Mutant Storm Reloaded and Marble Blast Ultra. For the XBox Live monthly fee and the $5 to download the game, these provide me much more enjoyment that my copies of Oblivion, PGR or Dead Or Alive.
I'll shell out the dough, but the games have to be fun. Right now, the cheapies are doing a better job of being fun for me than the big dogs. And frankly, I think that's a good thing.
Not all MMORPGs have this particular style of grinding associated with them. Eve Online, for instance, allows your character to advance in real-time, whether you are logged in or not. As a result, you don't have to log in to keep up with your friends, nor grind for new levels (since there are no levels.) Interestingly, the people who play Eve are just as avid as those who play other games, but the game does not penalize those who want to go play Quake for a month.
MMORPGs themselves are not the problem so much as the Skinner-box grinding that quite literally defines most of them. The game industry will find a balance eventually, assuming the gamers actually want such a thing. Keep buying WoW and maybe they won't bother.
I'm curious, dear moderators: What criteria did you use to determine that this post was worthy of our time? Since every time you post one of these you get essentially flamed for it, perhaps sharing your algorithm with us would allow us to help you tune it so that these incidents can be avoided in the future.
XP wouldn't run on machines from days of yore either (or at least not at any level of performance we would consider reasonable these days.) And there are games it won't play as well. Yet here you are, running it nontheless. And in 2 years, you'll be running Vista too.
This argument is tired, repetitive and serves no actual purpose except that some members of Slashdot are too young to remember that this has all happened before, or simply choose to forget. Everyone is gonna "upgrade", maybe not immediately, but they will. Just like they upgrade everything else in their lives. And those few of you who don't (who are still driving 80's era Hondas, using push mowers and have had the same cellphone for 5 years) have opinions which are not pertinent to such a conversation, since you are simply riding on the backs of technological innovation paid for by the rest of us who drive investment in new technology by purchasing new items. Eventually you too will upgrade - your pace is slower, but it's just as inevitable.
Funny, but this is actually what happens to ANY group of people. The actual manner in which it happens is goverened in large part by the original goals of the group, but it ultimately will occur, and usually for the worst when individuals (i.e. you, the employee of the soulless corporation who are too weak-willed to put your job on the line to avoid doing those unethical tasks you claim to revile on public forums) are not held personally accountable for their actions.
Corps (or any group) are evil or good based on the actions of the individuals comprising them. They have as much soul or conscience as their members impart. If you feel your group is soulless, it's your fault, and the fault of each of your co-workers. Scream to me all you want about the workplace and financial realities of the situation, but each person has to decide that it's worth making the group a better entity. And I guarantee that 99.9% of the people on here, quite probably including myself, are unwilling (but not unable) to do that.
So, I'd appreciate it if all of y'all would stop blaming corporations when really you should be blaming individuals, and usually yourselves.
The wonderful thing about progress and innovation is that there are no shortage of people who are willing to keep trying (and mostly failing) to improve technology in whatever way THEY think is best. As a result, we can usually avoid technological stagnation because eventually all the monkeys WILL produce a masterpiece, or at least something better than existed previously. No format or techonlogy is perfect, and we shouldn't automatically lambast people for trying to make a change (even if it seems disingenuous.) The market will ultimately determine the fate of these attempts, not we talking heads on Slashdot who are thoroughly convinced we know what is best in all matters technological.
Welcome to IT. It's your JOB to know about all of this stuff, and you need to relish the challenge. Otherwise you risk becoming a dinosaur by age 30 like so many people I've interviewed for technical positions here.
Actually, the coolest thing is that there are so many different MMOGs (by definition, these are all Massively Multiplayer Online Games) to choose from, each catering to differnt play styles. This is the rise of the Golden Age of MMOGs and we are all lucky to be here to argue the finer (and ultimately irrelevant) points of style.
Until people understand this, they will always bitch and moan about losing it, or how unfair it is that some rich dude has vast control over their lives. Those companies out there who have jobs you want are NOT your slaves, to be forced to give you a job to your liking when you want. Neither are YOU their slave to be commanded to work for them on their terms. The fact that the opportunity for you to have a job you want doesn't exist in your locale is not the fault of the companies in that region and is not their responsibility to correct.
If that is too abstract for you, break it down into a simpler scenario: If you are a single person operating a business alone, should YOU be forced to provide a job to some other person even if it doesn't make any business sense TO YOU? Or should that person be able to tell you what should make business sense and thereby force you to employ them? I suspect you would not stand for such a thing.
And for those who are saying "But, it's more complicated than that" you are right. I've glossed over the fact that corporations have special dispensation from the government and are therefore somewhat beholden to the needs of society. The key thing to remember here is that a corporation is a group of individuals, and none of them, individually, can be made to be responsible for providing you with a job. And if they are not individually responsible, then they are not collectively responsible either.
The sooner we all start thinking and working for ourselves and not blaming others for our lot in life, the better off we will be.
So it's not the content of the message which is important to you, but the character of the messenger?
The problem isn't the person sending the message. Its you, the reader, who doesn't even take the smallest of steps to either verify or discount the message based on the actual facts.
My car has more horsepower than it needs, and arguably I spent more money on its looks than was required for it to do its job efficiently and effectively. Similarly for my couch, my guns and my snowboarding gear. So why does this not upset me? Because I like having nice things. Computers are an integral part of our lives now, and we treat them as such. We want them to be nice, pretty, pleasing to work with, and that often means more than just a shiny case and a glowing blue light.
I've gotta second the parent. The biggest reason I hear from people isn't that they don't have the time, it's that they can't find the players. And I know there are a lot of players out there looking for others to play with. My gaming group has been together since about 1997 (and some of them were gaming together even before that.) We cycle through a bunch of different gaming systems to keep things interesting and to give everyone a chance to run something they like.
But the gamers are out there, you just need to look around for them. Go to gaming stores and ask - it's probably your single best bet to finding these people. Ask if you can leave a contact sheet so others can find you too.
Actually, it happens that if you install the BlueZ stack, you can access bluetooth devices without any special drivers. I went out and picked up a Linksys USB bluetooth key and it fired right up and works without a hitch. There are a bunch of standard tools used to perform discovery of other devices and establish connections, and various programs to implement the protocols needed to talk to specific features on these devices.
Actually, it is very hard to 'have a spine.' Look at how many people cave into their own desires and fail to exert self-control (diet fads anyone?) So on one level I can sympathize with parents who have trouble 'denying' their children things that they want.
On the other hand, just because something is difficult is no excuse for failing to do it. Resistance to the desires of a child are, in fact, just like resisting the requests of any other person. The only difference is the level of emotional attachment involved. That is what parents have trouble getting through, and it's why conversations like this between parents and non-parents erupt in a flurry of ad hominims. Trying to separate a parent's behavior from their emotional attachment to their children is likely a lost cause.
Its also important to remember that children are still individuals, and even with good parenting there are many other, lesser influences which contribute to consumer-whorism. Again, this is no excuse for bad parenting - It's all those ads on TV, what is a parent supposed to do! - but social norms can heavily influence children.
Societies don't have rights. Individuals have rights. At least here in the United States that's how it works (or did before we decided that a little communism would add flavor to our democratic republic.) In a communist country perhaps the State has rights that individuals do not, but it is a dangerous thought to suggest that a collection of people should have more rights than an individual.
Here in Washington State nearly all of the tech jobs are 'at will' employment, meaning the employment contract can be terminated at any time for nearly any reason. Giving two weeks notice is considered a courtesy, and should reflect well on you professionally regardless of how they treated you. While it is disturbing to see you have been 'shut out,' I wouldn't go so far as to take it personally unless you have actually talked with your boss and HR and they have not provided a satisfactory business explanation.
Keep in mind, these days it's not terribly uncommon for personnel managers to go a bit overboard when they think there might be a possible security breach with an employee. The fact that you gave notice should have helped mitigate such irrational behavior, but I guess not in your case.
You did the right thing, and you should feel good about that. They did what they had every right to do as an employer, and you shouldn't feel bad about that. Remember, if you were in their position and felt you had a reason to get rid of a guy who was quitting anyway, would you want people coming and complaining to you about something you know it is your right to do? Unless you are a hypocrite, probably not.
Besides, when you apply for your next job, if they bother to investigate the nature of your leaving at least there is a chance someone will say that you gave two weeks notice, as opposed to simply not showing up one day (which, at least here, would also be your legal right.)
Just because it's not in the Constitution doesn't mean it's not protected. Remember, the Constitution grants the government certain, limited powers. It does not enumerate the rights of Citizens. See the 9th Amendment. In fact, if the power is not expressly enumerated in the Constitution, the federal government expressly does not have said power. That power is reserved for the States and the People. See the 10th Amendment.
And finally, for the learning impaired (not the parent), rights are not granted by the Constitution. They are protected. Rights are inalienable in the American way of thinking. At least, back when we Americans thought about such things.
My partner is involved in still and streaming porn production, and according to him porn producers generally want the widest distribution of their content as possible. The deal with porn is that many of the images and videos produced are watermarked with the site name or other source identifier. Since people who consume porn have an effectively infinite appetite, they will continue looking for new porn after consuming their previous download. Whether the content was obtained legally or illegally, it probably has a watermark. If they liked the content, they are more likely, though not guaranteed, to look for additional content with the same source. For those who keep up to date with the latest porn, this will drive customers to their sites.
The reason this works for online porn is that they have a well-established web presence and content which is easy to obtain relatively inexpensively. With the sheer volume of newsgroups and other media distributing legal and illegal copies of their content, they have a free and massive marketing apparatus. And again, given the near infinite appetite of the consumer base, even if a large percentage of their content is eventually pirated, there is always more being produced and consumers hungry for the newest stuff they haven't seen.
Slashdot Mirror
Indeed. GPS especially means that people no longer have the faintest idea how to find their way around without a map. You no longer need to learn where anything is relative to anything else, because you just ask the GPS. Unfortunately, if you are in an emergency situation without such a device, you are hosed because not only are you lacking a map, but you don't even have any skills needed to figure out how to get where you are going. GPS is great for ocean voyages, flight and getting yourself through hard-to-navigate road systems. But I've got friends who use it on a daily basis, and I don't think they are doing themselves any favors in the long run.
Excellent post. I would only comment that governments have no rights - only powers - and I bring this up only because there is a dangerous trend in the way people speak of government powers to declare them to be rights as if the people should not be questioning them (whereas the government routinely questions the rights of people.) People with a power-seeking agenda know full well how subtle changes in verbage can have a strong impact on how an idea is perceived. I am certain your choice was accidental.
Those that behave this way are shortsighted in the way most voters are. They have their pet issue, and they think abotu that to the exclusion of all others. Unfortunately, neither of the major parties will protect all of the amendments, in spite of the fact it is their oath-bound duty to do so once elected. We continue to elect liars and hypocrites, so it is no suprise this is what happens. Vote for a party of principle, and keep your firearms clean and loaded.
But society did? And who are you to say what someone else does with their money?
It's funny, I bought an XBox 360 well after they came out and had some decent games. And of all the games I have, the ones I play the most are the relatively simple ones that I get from XBox Live Arcade, such as Geometry Wars, Mutant Storm Reloaded and Marble Blast Ultra. For the XBox Live monthly fee and the $5 to download the game, these provide me much more enjoyment that my copies of Oblivion, PGR or Dead Or Alive. I'll shell out the dough, but the games have to be fun. Right now, the cheapies are doing a better job of being fun for me than the big dogs. And frankly, I think that's a good thing.
Not all MMORPGs have this particular style of grinding associated with them. Eve Online, for instance, allows your character to advance in real-time, whether you are logged in or not. As a result, you don't have to log in to keep up with your friends, nor grind for new levels (since there are no levels.) Interestingly, the people who play Eve are just as avid as those who play other games, but the game does not penalize those who want to go play Quake for a month. MMORPGs themselves are not the problem so much as the Skinner-box grinding that quite literally defines most of them. The game industry will find a balance eventually, assuming the gamers actually want such a thing. Keep buying WoW and maybe they won't bother.
I'm curious, dear moderators: What criteria did you use to determine that this post was worthy of our time? Since every time you post one of these you get essentially flamed for it, perhaps sharing your algorithm with us would allow us to help you tune it so that these incidents can be avoided in the future.
XP wouldn't run on machines from days of yore either (or at least not at any level of performance we would consider reasonable these days.) And there are games it won't play as well. Yet here you are, running it nontheless. And in 2 years, you'll be running Vista too. This argument is tired, repetitive and serves no actual purpose except that some members of Slashdot are too young to remember that this has all happened before, or simply choose to forget. Everyone is gonna "upgrade", maybe not immediately, but they will. Just like they upgrade everything else in their lives. And those few of you who don't (who are still driving 80's era Hondas, using push mowers and have had the same cellphone for 5 years) have opinions which are not pertinent to such a conversation, since you are simply riding on the backs of technological innovation paid for by the rest of us who drive investment in new technology by purchasing new items. Eventually you too will upgrade - your pace is slower, but it's just as inevitable.
Funny, but this is actually what happens to ANY group of people. The actual manner in which it happens is goverened in large part by the original goals of the group, but it ultimately will occur, and usually for the worst when individuals (i.e. you, the employee of the soulless corporation who are too weak-willed to put your job on the line to avoid doing those unethical tasks you claim to revile on public forums) are not held personally accountable for their actions. Corps (or any group) are evil or good based on the actions of the individuals comprising them. They have as much soul or conscience as their members impart. If you feel your group is soulless, it's your fault, and the fault of each of your co-workers. Scream to me all you want about the workplace and financial realities of the situation, but each person has to decide that it's worth making the group a better entity. And I guarantee that 99.9% of the people on here, quite probably including myself, are unwilling (but not unable) to do that. So, I'd appreciate it if all of y'all would stop blaming corporations when really you should be blaming individuals, and usually yourselves.
The wonderful thing about progress and innovation is that there are no shortage of people who are willing to keep trying (and mostly failing) to improve technology in whatever way THEY think is best. As a result, we can usually avoid technological stagnation because eventually all the monkeys WILL produce a masterpiece, or at least something better than existed previously. No format or techonlogy is perfect, and we shouldn't automatically lambast people for trying to make a change (even if it seems disingenuous.) The market will ultimately determine the fate of these attempts, not we talking heads on Slashdot who are thoroughly convinced we know what is best in all matters technological.
Welcome to IT. It's your JOB to know about all of this stuff, and you need to relish the challenge. Otherwise you risk becoming a dinosaur by age 30 like so many people I've interviewed for technical positions here.
Actually, the coolest thing is that there are so many different MMOGs (by definition, these are all Massively Multiplayer Online Games) to choose from, each catering to differnt play styles. This is the rise of the Golden Age of MMOGs and we are all lucky to be here to argue the finer (and ultimately irrelevant) points of style.
Until people understand this, they will always bitch and moan about losing it, or how unfair it is that some rich dude has vast control over their lives. Those companies out there who have jobs you want are NOT your slaves, to be forced to give you a job to your liking when you want. Neither are YOU their slave to be commanded to work for them on their terms. The fact that the opportunity for you to have a job you want doesn't exist in your locale is not the fault of the companies in that region and is not their responsibility to correct. If that is too abstract for you, break it down into a simpler scenario: If you are a single person operating a business alone, should YOU be forced to provide a job to some other person even if it doesn't make any business sense TO YOU? Or should that person be able to tell you what should make business sense and thereby force you to employ them? I suspect you would not stand for such a thing. And for those who are saying "But, it's more complicated than that" you are right. I've glossed over the fact that corporations have special dispensation from the government and are therefore somewhat beholden to the needs of society. The key thing to remember here is that a corporation is a group of individuals, and none of them, individually, can be made to be responsible for providing you with a job. And if they are not individually responsible, then they are not collectively responsible either. The sooner we all start thinking and working for ourselves and not blaming others for our lot in life, the better off we will be.
So it's not the content of the message which is important to you, but the character of the messenger? The problem isn't the person sending the message. Its you, the reader, who doesn't even take the smallest of steps to either verify or discount the message based on the actual facts.
My car has more horsepower than it needs, and arguably I spent more money on its looks than was required for it to do its job efficiently and effectively. Similarly for my couch, my guns and my snowboarding gear. So why does this not upset me? Because I like having nice things. Computers are an integral part of our lives now, and we treat them as such. We want them to be nice, pretty, pleasing to work with, and that often means more than just a shiny case and a glowing blue light.
I've gotta second the parent. The biggest reason I hear from people isn't that they don't have the time, it's that they can't find the players. And I know there are a lot of players out there looking for others to play with. My gaming group has been together since about 1997 (and some of them were gaming together even before that.) We cycle through a bunch of different gaming systems to keep things interesting and to give everyone a chance to run something they like.
But the gamers are out there, you just need to look around for them. Go to gaming stores and ask - it's probably your single best bet to finding these people. Ask if you can leave a contact sheet so others can find you too.
Fortunately, there are enough people around to do astronomy AND solve the world's environmental crises.
Actually, it happens that if you install the BlueZ stack, you can access bluetooth devices without any special drivers. I went out and picked up a Linksys USB bluetooth key and it fired right up and works without a hitch. There are a bunch of standard tools used to perform discovery of other devices and establish connections, and various programs to implement the protocols needed to talk to specific features on these devices.
I believe that's the Eludium 236t Explosive Space Modulator.
Actually, it is very hard to 'have a spine.' Look at how many people cave into their own desires and fail to exert self-control (diet fads anyone?) So on one level I can sympathize with parents who have trouble 'denying' their children things that they want. On the other hand, just because something is difficult is no excuse for failing to do it. Resistance to the desires of a child are, in fact, just like resisting the requests of any other person. The only difference is the level of emotional attachment involved. That is what parents have trouble getting through, and it's why conversations like this between parents and non-parents erupt in a flurry of ad hominims. Trying to separate a parent's behavior from their emotional attachment to their children is likely a lost cause. Its also important to remember that children are still individuals, and even with good parenting there are many other, lesser influences which contribute to consumer-whorism. Again, this is no excuse for bad parenting - It's all those ads on TV, what is a parent supposed to do! - but social norms can heavily influence children.
Societies don't have rights. Individuals have rights. At least here in the United States that's how it works (or did before we decided that a little communism would add flavor to our democratic republic.) In a communist country perhaps the State has rights that individuals do not, but it is a dangerous thought to suggest that a collection of people should have more rights than an individual.
Here in Washington State nearly all of the tech jobs are 'at will' employment, meaning the employment contract can be terminated at any time for nearly any reason. Giving two weeks notice is considered a courtesy, and should reflect well on you professionally regardless of how they treated you. While it is disturbing to see you have been 'shut out,' I wouldn't go so far as to take it personally unless you have actually talked with your boss and HR and they have not provided a satisfactory business explanation. Keep in mind, these days it's not terribly uncommon for personnel managers to go a bit overboard when they think there might be a possible security breach with an employee. The fact that you gave notice should have helped mitigate such irrational behavior, but I guess not in your case. You did the right thing, and you should feel good about that. They did what they had every right to do as an employer, and you shouldn't feel bad about that. Remember, if you were in their position and felt you had a reason to get rid of a guy who was quitting anyway, would you want people coming and complaining to you about something you know it is your right to do? Unless you are a hypocrite, probably not. Besides, when you apply for your next job, if they bother to investigate the nature of your leaving at least there is a chance someone will say that you gave two weeks notice, as opposed to simply not showing up one day (which, at least here, would also be your legal right.)
Just because it's not in the Constitution doesn't mean it's not protected. Remember, the Constitution grants the government certain, limited powers. It does not enumerate the rights of Citizens. See the 9th Amendment. In fact, if the power is not expressly enumerated in the Constitution, the federal government expressly does not have said power. That power is reserved for the States and the People. See the 10th Amendment.
And finally, for the learning impaired (not the parent), rights are not granted by the Constitution. They are protected. Rights are inalienable in the American way of thinking. At least, back when we Americans thought about such things.
http://www.house.gov/Constitution/Amend.html
My partner is involved in still and streaming porn production, and according to him porn producers generally want the widest distribution of their content as possible. The deal with porn is that many of the images and videos produced are watermarked with the site name or other source identifier. Since people who consume porn have an effectively infinite appetite, they will continue looking for new porn after consuming their previous download. Whether the content was obtained legally or illegally, it probably has a watermark. If they liked the content, they are more likely, though not guaranteed, to look for additional content with the same source. For those who keep up to date with the latest porn, this will drive customers to their sites. The reason this works for online porn is that they have a well-established web presence and content which is easy to obtain relatively inexpensively. With the sheer volume of newsgroups and other media distributing legal and illegal copies of their content, they have a free and massive marketing apparatus. And again, given the near infinite appetite of the consumer base, even if a large percentage of their content is eventually pirated, there is always more being produced and consumers hungry for the newest stuff they haven't seen.